Cabin Fever
by SylvanDryad
Summary: Another LukeMara fill-in-the gap vignette. This one is about the three days on Almania after Kueller is killed in "The New Rebellion."


Disclaimer: The universe I'm dabbling in does not belong to me. I'm just visiting. The characters and scenes belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm, although they seem to enjoy visiting me on occasion.  
  
*  
  
There are many stories I have enjoyed reading which attempt to fill in the gaps in Luke and Mara's courtship, if it can be called that. Most of them, however, seem to ignore the three days they spend, stuck on the Falcon after the crisis with Kueller on Almania (The New Rebellion).  
  
This little vignette is how I would fill in that gap.  
  
Hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear either way.  
  
*  
  
Cabin Fever  
  
~from The New Rebellion~  
  
Then she turned around. Han was behind her, watching her.  
  
"I love you Princess," he said softly.  
  
She launched herself into his arms and pulled him close. "I know," she whispered, "I know."  
  
~end excerpt~  
  
Leaving them to each other for a minute, Luke turned back to the Thernbee sitting 10 metres away, wagging its tail proudly.  
  
"Thank you," he said, trying to transmit his gratitude psychically, but he realized very quickly that it was impossible without the Force. Reaching out, he scratched the Thernbee affectionately on the front paw.  
  
He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned quickly to see a figure striding out of the alley towards him. His vision clouded over for an instant and he staggered slightly.  
  
"Mara?"  
  
"Easy Skywalker," she said worriedly as he recovered his balance.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
She ignored his question. Pulling out her sleeve blaster, she walked over to the corpse of Kueller and inspected it closely. She kicked the mask off his chest and scrutinized the fatal blaster burn. Finally satisfied, she reholstered her blaster and turned to look at Luke.  
  
"What have you been doing to yourself now?" she asked. It sounded like a jest but somehow Luke thought her heard, underneath, a frustrated rebuke as serious as any of Yoda's lessons.  
  
"Why are you here?" he repeated, even more curious.  
  
"Someone had to bring the ysalimiri."  
  
"Why would you have.?"  
  
"Come on," she interrupted, "You need to get back to the Falcon, or better yet, a bacta tank. You're white as Thrawn's uniform and I bet you're thirsty."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am a little thirsty." Luke admitted, realizing he had no saliva with which to lick his cracked lips.  
  
Trailing stiffly behind her purposeful stride, he heard her muttering something about the Emperor wasting human resources when he sent her to kill him.  
  
*  
  
"This" Mara thought, "is like something out of a spice nightmare."  
  
Stranded on a planet, in a ship she wasn't captain of, playing holochess with Skywalker was a working definition of becoming one with the dark side of the Force. With consequences like this, it was no wonder Vader had turned back to the light.  
  
"Your turn," Luke said, shifting in his seat. She saw him wince as his back brushed against the wall.  
  
"You need more salve don't you?" she said suspiciously.  
  
"No, I'm fine," was the dismissive reply. He shifted again and gritted his teeth, quickly sucking in air.  
  
"Right," she muttered sarcastically, "move over."  
  
Grabbing the tube of slave, she sat down in the seat beside him and unscrewed the cap. She began applying the salve generously to the large burns on his back. The jedi was lucky to be sitting there. She hoped he realized that.  
  
"How are your hands?" he asked, referring to the third degree burns she'd acquired while working the turbolasers during the dogfight over Almania.  
  
"Fine," she grunted.  
  
"Red and raw's more like it," he snapped.  
  
"Seen your back lately?" she shot back.  
  
"No," he answered simply, his serene tone emphasizing the ridiculousness of her retort.  
  
"You should watch it more often," she replied quietly.  
  
"I know," he said, "but sometimes a situation is too serious for caution. I just have to act for the good of everyone."  
  
"And what good will it do us if you get yourself killed?!" she snarled with more venom than she had intended.  
  
He turned and stared at her for a moment, eyes wide.  
  
"What?" she snapped, not really caring what he said as long as he stopped trying to read her soul.  
  
"Nothing." He answered, quickly looking away.  
  
Frowning, she put the lid back on the tube and massaged the remaining salve into her hands. Skywalker was right. They did hurt.  
  
"Your turn," he said as she sat down in her spot again.  
  
"I know, she responded tartly. She dialed in her move.  
  
"Checkmate."  
  
He looked at the board in disbelief.  
  
"You're right. You win."  
  
"That makes three in a row." She said triumphantly, "Does the jedi master want some lessons in strategy?"  
  
"I think I'll be okay," he answered dryly.  
  
"Are you sure?" she muttered, half to herself.  
  
"Yes," he answered firmly, powerfully. She met his gaze, searching it for weakness, openness but he'd drawn the Force around himself like a curtain of power and she couldn't get in. She settled for staring back at that impenetrable, impassive gaze. Daring.  
  
"Another game?" Luke asked briskly, trying to lighten the mood after the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Mara was not to be brightened.  
  
"No, I need to go for a walk. I'm tired of being cooped up in this ship. I'm catching cabin fever and we haven't even hit hyperspace yet."  
  
"I'll come," he offered politely, once again the cheerful diplomatic Jedi.  
  
"No, I need to be alone," she said flatly.  
  
"Oh," he answered, taken aback.  
  
Well, she wasn't going to soothe his dented ego. Not everyone wanted to be with him. It was about time he learned that.  
  
The minute she stepped down the Falcon's ramp, the Force disappeared and she realized the kriffing Thernbee was around somewhere.  
  
"Hey Solo," she called as she caught sight of Han down near the aft sensors.  
He looked up at her.  
  
"Any word on when we can get out of here?"  
  
Frustration showed in his expression and she realized she may have asked the wrong question.  
  
"I dunno," he snarled, "maybe after Chewie finally gets the wires on the quad lasers attached right."  
  
An equally angry growl sounded from somewhere just out of sight and Mara winced. Her grasp of Wookie extended no further than the basic vulgarities muttered by smugglers and pirates. She'd understood every word Chewbacca had uttered.  
  
"Yeah, well get it right!"  
More growls ensued, and a set of hydrospanners bounced off the hull and landed at Han's feet.  
  
"Well that's just great. So the 'mechanically adept' Wookie can't tell green from blue. Heh, bet you can't tell green from red either. That's why you've got so many Coruscant space traffic violations."  
  
With that, Chewie's face appeared over the side of the ship and he made a series of universally insulting gestures.  
  
"Listen to me you furry."  
  
"No, you listen to me!" Mara interrupted viciously, her blaster pointed at Solo. It was set for stun but he didn't need to know that, "Either you two oafs get this sith-driven ship fixed and get us off this Force-foresaken rock or this ship's going to need a new captain because all you'll be capable of is lying very still."  
  
Han watched her closely, defiant nature warring with prudence. She advanced, her blaster unwavering. He felt a touch of fear but he brushed it away, pretty sure that Mara wouldn't really shoot him. She knew better than to kill the captain of the ship that would get her off planet, especially when the Captain's Wookie first mate was a hydrospanner's throw away.  
  
However, if they didn't get out of here soon, Luke might also find himself on the wrong end of Mara's blaster. And he wasn't sure how practical she'd be then. There was a little too much emotion there for logic and reason.  
  
Solo flashed a crooked grin.  
  
"We'll be out of here by tomorrow morning." 


End file.
